Stuaet gwynn



UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIGE.

STUART GWYNN, on NEW YORK, N. Y., Assrenon TO AMERICAN METALINE COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF FORMING COMPOSITIONS OF MATTER CALLED METALINE FOR JOURNALS, .BEARINGS, STEPS. AND OTHER ARTICLES LIABLE TO FRICTION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 101,869, dated April 12, 1870; antedat'ed March 30,1870,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, STUART GWYNN, of the city of New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, have discovered a new and useful process for treating certain natural substances by which I produce in them such conditions that while they have that de; gree of solidity necessary to bear without material change of form the pressure ordinarily applied to journal boxes and other articles whose surfaces are intended to be subjected -ly understood by first stating certain familiar elementary facts and principles involved in the phenomena of friction, and the development of heat thereby.

All matter is supposed to exist, in .its ultimate form, as indivisible atoms, held together by a force called the attraction of cohesion; but nowhere are these atoms actually in con tact with each other, such contact being prevented by an antagonizing force called repulsion, leaving vacant spaces or interstices be tween them. In proportion as these atoms,in any aggregation of them, are drawn more nearly in contact does the mass become soliditied; or, in other words, just in that ratioyis their tendency to maintain a fixed relative position, and is the difficulty increased of causing them to move around and upon each other.

The more widely they are separated from each other, the more plastic, yielding, or fluid does the mass become, and the less is the force re-" quired to cause movement among the atoms; or, in other words, just in proportion to the nearness of the atoms to each other is the energy with which the two forces act-repulsion to resist a farther approach, and cohesion to prevent separation; the combined action of the two being to hold tlie atoms fixedlyat the point where these forces balance each other. But whatever may be the atomic condition in the respects named, however slightly, or however rigidly the atoms may be held together in a fixed relative position, so long as they remain within the sphere of the action of the forces named, some expenditure of acounterforce is necessary to cause movement among themthe amount in every case depending, of

course, upon the energy with which cohesion and repulsion areacti'ng. In some kinds and conditions of matter there is that peculiar action of cohesion and repulsion, as'in most crystalline bodies, which causes the atoms to have so strong a tendency to maintain a fixed relative position, and to resist inter-atomic movement, that less force is required to detach them completely from each other than"i\: effect a change of position among them. Such substances are brittle and unyielding. They refuse to submit to a change of form, except by abrasion, or being broken or crushed in pieces. Cohesion and repulsion act only at insensible distances; but whenever any two atoms of matter approach within a certain distance they do invariably act; and a counterforce must be employed to disturb the atomic, arrangement which they efi'ect.-

Adhesion is commonly understood to be that tendency which the atoms or particles of one mass of solid or semi-solid matter have to stick or adhere to those of another. It, in fact, however, only differs from cohesion in the conditions under which it takes place, adhesion acting between the atoms of one mass and those of another, cohesion be ween those .of the same mass. Cohesion and adhesion are, therefore, really the same force or property. The energy with which adhesion in any case acts is (as is true of cohesion) in proportion to the nearness to which the atoms of the one surface are made to approach those of any other, and, therefore, it is only between masses that are, one or both, in some degree plastic or yielding that it takes place. But between property of matter plays a most important part in the phenomena of friction, and the heat thereby developed, as will presently appear.

Heat is but a mode of motion and all motion is caused by an expenditure of force; hence it follows that there can be no expenditure of force without the development of heat, and an amount of heat that is exactly the equivalent of the force expended. Heat, in its manifestation among the atoms of matter, acts to drive them asunder, thus diminishing cohesion, and tending to facilitate change 4 of relative position among them, and determining their condition as to the solidity and fluidity of their masses. But as the articles for which the compositions made by my process are to be used, generally, at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere, it is notnecessary for my purpose here to take into consideration the molecular changes effected in matter by heat, other than those occurring from that degree of heat developed by friction in the actual use of these articles; but with .reference to such heating it is important to bear in mind that most solid or semi-solid substances are rendered more plastic by heat, and in proportion to the degree of heat present is the tendency to adhesion between the surfaces of two heated masses. In the light of these familiar principles it is not difficult to apprehend the philosophy of.friction and its resulting heat.

Itis obvious that from its atomic construetion no mass of matter can be made to presenta surface that is an absolute plane. Even ifit were possible to level down all asperities formed of aggregates of atoms, there would stlll be atomic prominences and depressions.

atoms, or aggregate of atoms, from the masses to which they cohere, or to change their position and depress them so far that they can pass each other. If they become detached, they will still continue to be obstructions .to

the free motion of the surfaces, cutting into and roughening them, augmenting the difficulty of their movement, and calling for increased expenditure of force, which results, of course, in an increased development of heat. If the mass is so far plastic or yielding that no detachment or abrasion takes place, the atoms must be made to change their relative position. Then an undulatory motion may occur, the depression of those most prominent causing the-elevation of others in their vicinity, they to be, in turn, depressed, and so on continuously, while the rubbing of the surfaces together is continued. But this molecular undulation demands the expenditure of force to produce it, just in proportion to the resistance which cohesion among the atoms opposes to it, and, of course, the equivalent of thisforce will-appear as heat.

Still another obstacle to the free movement of the surfaces upon each other existsn amely, adhesionwhieh, as I have before said, plays a most important part in friction. If any surface is brought so nearly to a plane that a considerable number of the atoms composing it are caused to approach so nearly in contact with those of another that is being rubbed upon it as to bring them within the sphere of cohesive attraction, the two surfaces have a tendency to adhere together. The expenditure of force is then required to prevent them from doing so, and heat will of course result i from such expenditure of force.

We have now before us what I apprehend to be the true philosophy of friction and heat, resulting from the rubbing of one mass of matter upon another, and it discloses a most important facta fact which is the key to my process. It is this, that always and everywhere friction is the resistance which the cohesion and repulsion, one or both, of the atoms of the bodies whose surfaces are being rubbed together, (which, for convenience, I will call elemental force,) offers in some way to the force expended to'cause the movement of the surfaces, (which, for like convenience, 1 will term mechanical force,) and the heat developed by the friction is the cquivalent, in another form, of the mechanical force so expended.

It is not, of course, difficult to find conditions in nature, or to produce them by art, in which these forces, one or both, act with little energy, and where there is consequently little friction. Most of the fluids present them. But these are not the only conditions demanded in substances thatare to be used for journal-boxes and other similar articles. There is demanded a certain degree of solidity (required to'prevent change of form under the pressure to which these articles are to be subjected;) and it is difficult to find or produce a substance having the last-named property, which is, at the same time, of such a nature that so little friction is -caused by rubbing its surface that, when employing it for the purpose of journal-boxes in machinery, the use of a lubricant can be dispensed with. In fact, nature, so far as is known, has not given us such a substance; and I am not aware that it has heretofore been thought possible to produce it by art. I have discovered that it is possible to do so,

and by my process such a substance, orrather a series of substances, is produced. as I have by experiment and trial now abundantlydemonstrated. To the substances so produced I have giventhe general name of metaline.

I will now endeavor to describe and illustrate my process so fully and plainly that others ma follow and use it, and in doing so successfully produce, in the treatment of a great range of materials, the important result stated above. In doing so I shall assume that I am giving this description to those who are acquainted with the natural properties belonging to the elements and substances treated, whether simple or compound, and with what our present science teaches of their possible changes and modifications under the action of chemical laws and mechanical forces.

The properties requisite in a substance to render it suitable for journal-boxes that can be used practically without a lubricant, may be. stated to be the following: First, that degree of solidity or coherence necessary to prevent change of form, to any considerable degree, of thearticle made of it, by the pressure to which it is to be subjected. Second, such a degree of plasticity or facilityof movement of the atoms or particles over and upon each other that the expenditure of force suflicient to cause so much of said movement as results from such rubbing practically in machinery,

shall not develope' heat more rapidly than it can be conducted away in the atmosphere at ordinary temperatures. Third, just such a degree of non-plasticity or fixedness of the relative position of-its atoms or particles, that adhesion between its surface and that of the body rubbed upon it, in practical use, will not take place to such an extent that the heat caused by overcoming it will not be radiated aw. y as rapidlyasitisdeveloped. Fourtlnsuch an adjustment or balance of the three preced ing conditions thatlittle or no abrasion or wear-i. 6., change of quantityof the jour na-l-box or shaft shall take place.

To combine these conditions in one and the same body is the object to be secured. To secure it I take some natural substance, which, if it has sufficient solidity for my purpose, will invariably be found to have too much cohercncethat is, it will have either too rigid and unyielding an atomic structure, so

as to crumble and wear into powder by rubbing, or it will be too adhesive, so as to stick or cling to the body being rubbed upon it to such a degree as to cause too much friction. Its natural conditions in this respect must be changed or modified. This I proceed to do by, as it were, first destroying its natural coherence, which I cannot control, and then establishing an artificial union among its particles, which I can control. To this end I sunder, as far as possible, the atoms from each other by solution and precipitation, by heat, by abrasion, by trituration, or by some other molecular structure it is only necessary to change by heat, electricity, pressure, or some other temporarily-acting modifying agent, I

proceed to intimately mixor combine with it, another substance, one that vhas naturally comparatively but little coherence, and which is susceptible of intimately comminglin g with its particles, and surrounding, or infiltrating, or interposing itself between them, so as to prevent, by any means, their consolidation into their original natural state. Then the compound thus prepared is to be subjected to just that degree of pressure requisite to impart to it the necessary solidity to prevent crumbling under friction, or, toany considerable extent, changing form under pressure, when put to use as a journal-box. Pressure at this stage is important, also, because it tends to produce a more intimate commingl'ing, a more equal distribution, and a finer inter-adjustment of the particles of the several elements of the compound. .This pressure may be applied in a suitable mold to give the body any desired solidity, and most conveniently by a hydraulic press.

If the substance in hand is embraced in the class of compounds included in'theiexception,

first-above named, a knowledge of the nature of its elements will readily disclose the one t6 which is due its too great adhcsiveness. This adhesive element is then to be removed, in whole or in part, or modified, as may be necessary, by means properly adapted to do so, which the expert will know how to select and apply; andjust how much ofthe element must be removed to secure the condition required, as above set forth, will, of course, depend upon circumstances; but knowing the nature of the substance under treatment, and the precise object aimed at, as liereinbefore defined, the expert here will have no more difficulty in successfully performing this needed manipulation of the substance than does the expert in machinery incalculating andadapting the different parts of a machine to secure agiven result. When the substance has undergone the change indicated it is then to be subjected to pressure, as before described.

If the substance belongs to that class included in the second of the above-named exceptions, then the same knowledge of its nature above supposed to he possessed by the expert will enable him to apply the requisite modifying agent successfully to effect the object aimed at.

If the substance I employ be a brittle or friable one, and is already in a powdered or disintegrated state, then I unite with it another capableof becoming intimately disseminated among the particles of the powder, and in some measure adherent to them, and having sufiicient coherency among its own atoms to be susceptible of becoming aggregated with said particles into a mass by pressure; which, while it has sufficient solidity to answer for a journal-box orjournal-box lining, at the same time hasjust that degree of facility of movement among its atoms and particles hereinbefore stated as requisite. The aggregating substance may be one which alone has too much coherence and plasticity to itself make a journal-box that can be used without a lubricant, but which in its combination with the powdered material will have its coherencereduced and its plasticity modified, so as to produce the required conditions.

Now, having stated the principles and method upon which I proceed in my process, Iwill give a number of illustrations of its use.

, Example No.1: In this example I take of iron fifty parts, in such a state of division that it will pass through a sieve with at least ten thousand holes to'the inch. It is well to protect the surface of the particles of the powdered iron from oxidation before it is compounded with the tin by covering them with any oily substance. Half of one per cent. of paraffine intimately mixed with the iron-dust in a heated mill will prevent oxidation of the particles for months. 1 then take of tin fifty parts, which I prefer to have as finely divided as the iron; but its high pulverization is not so necessary as that of the iron, for obvious reasons; These metals I then intimately mix by grinding or otherwise, and subject the mixture in steel or other suitable molds to pressure, to give it the required solidity.

The required consolidation will be determined by the'use to which the resultant metaline is to be applied. The proportions given will be found to be those which will be.

found most generally serviceable; but they may be varied to meet the various conditions under which the metaline is to be used.

Example No. 2: I take of lead eighty parts, abrade or precipitate it from solution; and with this I mix twenty parts of cannel-coal, which should be ground very finethe finer the better. The lead, if abraded, should be made fine enough to consolidate with the coal. The two should be intimately mixed by rubbing or grindingdry, in a suitable mill or otherwise. I u e a cast-iron edge-mill for the purpose. When the compound is, to appearance, homogeneous, Ipress it in steel or other suitable molds, to consolidate it. Hardened steel is decidedly preferable for molds. The pressure and the proportions of the metal and carbonaceous matter will depend upon the use to which the resultant metaline will be applied. Example No. 3: In this example I take of fresh bones, from which neither oil or gelatine has been extracted, ninetytwo parts, and grind it fine, if to an extent that it will pass a sieve of ten thousand holes to the inch, all the better. I then take of bees wax eight parts, and mix it with the bone-dust, as follows: First, mix with the wax ten parts of the bone-dust, by gri-ndingthem together in a hot mill, and then add the remainder of the bone dust from time to time, the grinding or stirring being continued. If bones from which these substances are extracted are used, more wax or other modifying substance will be required. The proportion of the ingredients, and the pressure to be applied'will, of course, be varied to meet the conditions required in the use of the resultant metaline.

Example No.4: I use in this example the prepared oxide of aluminium, ninety parts, which is naturally an impalpable powder. Most of the precipitated oxides are in this state of minute division; and I prefer to use them in this natural condition, although a powder can be made from the solid form. With this I combine ten parts of sperm'aceti. They are to be intimately mixed, first usingabout twenty per cent. of the oxide with the spermaceti in a heated mill, adding the remainder of the oxide, from time to time, while the grinding or mixing is going on. This mixture is then to be pressed, as in former examples. The proportion of the ingredients and the pressure will be varied to suit the use to which the resultant metaline is to be applied.

Example No. 5 Take of the nat'we gray sulphide of copper ninety-five parts, to be selected as free from quartz, 860., as possible, coarsely grind or stamp it, removing from it foreign matter by washing, then dry, and grind itinto a fine powder; then take fused caoutchoue five parts, and mix the two together. First put together about equal parts and grind in a hot mill or mixer, and add theremainder of the sulphidetrom time to time during the grinding or mixing; then press in suitable molds, to give solidity.

For some purposes it improves this particular metaline, and others of like nature, to

break up and carefully regrind the pressed masses of metaline and subject theground compound to a second pressing. In some cases I have resorted to three or more grindings and pressings. The proportions of the ingredients and the pressure will be governed by the uses to which the resultant metaline is to be applied.

Example No. 6: In this example I take of lead eighty-six parts, prepared as indicated in example No 2. I then take of lampblack twelve parts, in the condition of an impalpable powder, as it is found in commerce; with the carbon I intimately mix two parts of beeswax in a hot mill or stirrer, and then add the metal from time to time during the mixing.

The compound is now pressed in a suitable mold to give it solidity. The proportion of ingredients and the pressure will be varied to,

meet the use to which the resultant metaline is applied.

Most of the foregoing examples are compositions of two elements; but my process is not, of course, confined to the use of two elements, as example No. 5 shows. \Vhile the principle .upon which my method proceeds, as stated and illustrated herein, is adhered to, any number of elements may be employed.

' Without multiplying these examples and illustrations, I think I have so clearly stated and illustrated the principles, method, purposes,

and results of my process, that any one skilled in the sciences and the arts to which it relates will, by making himself thoroughly acquainted with what I have said, be able successfully to employ, and with certainty secure, the result aimed at.

I do not here and now intend to claim specifically any of the substances or compounds that I have herein given as examples, or that may be made by the process I have described, having reserved my claims for such substances and compounds for other specifications for separate and distinct patents filed in the Patent Office simultaneously herewith; nor do I claim the. process of merely compounding a finely-comminuted or divisible substance with one comparatively more yielding or plastic. Many compositions may be thus compounded which will not have the peculiar characteristics herein specified as possessed by my metalme.

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The process herein described and illustrated of selecting, treating, compounding, and consolidating certain natural' substances, by which I produce a new composition of matter denominated by me metaline, designed for the purpose of journal-boxes, journal box linings, and other similar articles whose surfaces 

